Vault base



R. E. SMITH VAULT BASE July 20, 1937.

Original Filed Jan. 14, 1935 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 RALPH E.SMIT I R. E. SMITHJuly 20; 1937.

VAULT BASE Originl Filed Jan 14, 1955 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 m WE R. E. SMITHVAULT BASE July 20, 1937.

Original-Filed Jan. 14, 1955 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 RALPH E. SMITH,

Patented July 20, 1937 UNITED STAT FFIQE Galion Metallic Vault acorporation of Ohio RElSSUED Company, Galion, Ohio,

Original application January 14, 1935, Serial No.

1,600. 1936, Serial No. 88,669

5 Claims.

This invention relates to locking mechanisms, and in particular, todevices for locking the hoods or covers of grave vaults to the basesthereof.

One object of this invention is to provide a looking device for lockingthe hood to the base of a grave vault atapproximately the cornersthereof, so as to provide an even tension and latching effect.

Another object is to provide a locking device of this character, whereinthe latches are arranged in pairs at each end of the base, each pairbeing operated by a lever having a handle projecting outside the base.

Another object is to provide a grave vault with a base having a lock boxincorporated therein and adapted not only to contain the lockingmechanism, but also to add rigidity to the base and further decrease itstendency to sink into the earth.

Another object is to provide a locking system for lockinggrave vaulthoods to thebases thereof, the latching members being connected to anoperating lever which extends downward beneath the base-and outwardbeyond it, so that the locking'mechanism may be operated by moving theportion of the lever beneath the base in the event that theend of thelever becomes broken off.

Another object is to provide a locking system for locking the hood of agrave vault to the base, wherein the hood is provided with an inwardlybent flange adapted'to beengaged by the latching member of the lock, andalso to rest upon an upturned lip on the base in such a manner as topermit operation of the lock even though dirt .may'accidentally havefallen upon the base before the hood. is placed overit.

This application is a division of my copending .applicatiom-Ser. No.1,600, filed January 14, 1935.

,In the'drawings:

Figure 1 ,is a perspective viewof a grave vault withits-hood in positionupon its base, and showing the lock-operating lever projecting from thebase.

Figure2 is a perspective view of the'base of the grave vault of Figure.1, showing one of the latching members projecting from the side of thebase, and the operating lever projecting from the end thereof.

'Figure 3 is a top plan view of the grave vault base shown in Figure 2,with the top thereof broken away to show'the details of the latchingmechanism.

Figure 4 is across section through the end of the grave vault base shownin Figure 3, taken .alongtheline 4-4 of Figure 3.

Divided and this application July 2,

Figure 5 is an enlarged view, partly in cross section, showing thedetails of the latching member of Figure 4 in its unlatching position.

Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 5, but in a plane at right anglesthereto.

Figure 7 is aview similar to Figure 3, but showing a modifiedconstruction.

Figure 8 is a cross section through the modified construction shown inFigure '7.

Figure 9 is a view similar to Figure 6, but showing the modifiedconstruction of Figures 7 and 8.

Referring to the drawings in detail, the grave vault embodying thelocking device of my invention consists generally of a base I, having ahood 2, which may be placed with its open side downward upon the base i.The hood 2 is provided with handles 3 for the convenience of loweringthe hood onto the base I.

The base I comprises a base top plate, indicated by the numeral 4, thishaving downwardlyextending flanges 5 at its outer edges. The flanges 5are continued outward and upward to form a groove 6 with anupwardly-projecting flange or lip i. At each end of the base i a slot 8is cut therethrough to accommodate the operating lever 9 of the lockingmechanism, hereinafter described. The lip l is flared outward, as at ill (Figure 2), in order to permit the passage and operation of thelatch-operating lever 9. The side flanges 5 of the base I are alsoprovided with apertures H, through which project the latching members l2(Figure 2). One of these latching members if! is arranged on each sideof the base 5, near the corners thereof, and interconnected to the otherand to the operating lever B by mechanism described below.

The base top plate 4 is provided with suitable clips l3, which areadapted for securing the casket to the base. The hood 2 is provided atits lower edges with an inwardly extended flange M, which is adapted torest upon the lip l of the base 5. By this construction, the accidentalfalling of dirt into the grave before the hood has been lowered willmerely fall into the trough B and not prevent the operation of the lock.The inwardly-extended flange M of the hood 2 serves the further purposeof providing means for the engagement of the latching members l2 (Figure4).

The latching mechanism (Figures 3 and 4) consists of the previouslydescribed latching members i2, extending through the apertures I l inthe side walls 5 of the base Each latching member 12 is of double-walledconstruction, preferably formed from a single piece of material, havingwings I5 and I6 (Figure 6),

which are bent toward one another and substantially at right angles tothe front face I1 of the latch. A lowerportion I3 of the front face I!is bent backward to form the lower contact surface of the latch I2(Figures 4 and 5). The horizontal cross section through the latch I2thus roughly resembles a letter U. 7

Each latching member I2 is provided with holes IS in the side wings I5and I6 thereof, and through'thes e is passed the pivot shaft 20 of thelatch (Figures 5 and 6). In the construction shown, the pivot shaft 20also passes through holes 2I in a pair of angle brackets 22, and theends of the pivot shaft 20 are enlarged so as to secure the wholetogether. The bent portions 23 of the angle brackets 22 are secured,preferably by welding, to the base bottom plate 24. Each latching memberI2 is thus mounted for free pivoting upon its pivot shaft 20, but isurged into a latching position by means of a looped coil spring 25(Figures 4 and 5). This spring 25 is roughly U-shaped (Figure 3) and hasa forward loop 26, the spring being coiled around the pivot shaft 20 andits arms 21 extended backward and upward into contact with the baseplate 4 (Figure 4). The forward loop 7 26 engages the inner surface ofthe forward wall bottom plate24 of'the base I.

Ilf of the latching member I2, urging it outward into a latchingposition. In this position the lower forward surface I8 of the latchingmember passes over the flange I4 of the grave vault hood 2, thus lockingthe hood securely-to the base I and against the upwardly-projecting lipI thereof.

The backwardly projecting wings I5 and I6 of each latching member I2 areso formed as to provide'notched portions 30, which are arranged to serveas cam surfaces. These notches 30 are arranged to receive the lockslides 3I Each slide 3| consists of a U-shaped member attached to acontrol rod 32, as by the enlarged portions 33 thereon. Thus when theslide 3| is moved away from the side wall, the latch member will bedisengaged from the hood (Figure 5); when the slide 3I is pushed inwardtoward the side wall 5, however, the upper portion of the slide willenter the notches 30 in the latch wings I5 and I6, allowing the latchmember I2 to be rotated downward and outward through its aperture II andover the flange I4 of the hood 2.

The oppositely disposed latch -members I2 (Figures '3 and 4) areoperated simultaneously by their rods 32 through the action of thepivoted bar 34 into which the ends of the rods are inserted as in theholes 35. secured to a cup-shaped spacer 36, such as by welding, in sucha manner that the spacer 36 raises the bar 34 a sufiicient distanceabove the The lock-operating rod Sis likewise secured tothe bar 35,'asby welding, and is bent in the manner shown in Figure 6. The inner end40 of the operating rod 9 is bent downward so that it passes through ahole 4I in the spacer 36, and likewise through a hole 42 in the bottomDlate24. A washer 43 and a cotter pin 44 prevent the displacement of theinner end 40 of the control rod 9.

Beyond the inner end 40 the control r'od 9 is provided with thehorizontally bent portion 45, which passes through a hole 45 in thespacer 36'and beyond this is bent downward in. the

vertical portion 4'! which'passes through aslot I 48in'the'bottom plate24. 7 Beyond this point The bar 34 is the operating rod 9 extendsoutward in a horizontal portion 49 through the slot 8. By thisconstruction the operating rod 9 may be operated even though its outerend 53 may have been accidentally broken ofi. This is done by merelymoving the horizontal portion 49 in a suitable direction either to lockor unlock the latching mechanism previously described.

-The modified form of latching mechanism shown in Figures 7 to 9,inclusive, is generally parts are given corresponding numerals.

employed to receive the ends of the control rods 32, and to this disc isattached the horizontal portion'52 of the lock-operating rod 53. Oneither side of the horizontal portion 52 the operating rod 53 isextended downward in vertical portions 54 and 55, the latter portionpassing through a slot 58 in the bottom plate 24 (Figure 9), andthereafter is bent outward in a second horizontal portion 51.Thenceforth the portion 51 passes through a slot 58 near the lower edgeof the base, and continues over a flange II) in the outer lip I of thebase.

The operation .of the latching mechanism of my invention has beensufficiently disclosed in describing the construction thereof. To placethe hood 2 upon the base .I,. the former. is merely lowered onto thelatter. At the same time the lock-operating lever 9 is moved in such amanner as to draw the latch-controlrods 32 toward one another (Figure3), thus withdrawing the latch members I2 into the, interior of the baseby way of the apertures II. When the hood 2 is in its proper positionupon the base I, the lever 9 is moved in the reverse direction, allowingthe latch members I2 to pass outward through their apertures II andengage the lower flange I4 on the hood 2.

The operation of the modified form of locking mechanism shown in Figures'7 to 9 is substantially similar to that of the form shown in Figures 3to 6, inclusive. By the box-like'constr'um 'tion of the base Ito containthe locking mecha- 7 not necessary tooperate the lever, because whensetting the top on the base the locksoperate automatically. In Figures 3or 4 the lever stays either in the looking or open position, as shownin. Figure 5. Part 34 extends through the box 24 and can be operated tounlock the bar from the top of the vault when the vault is standing onend, or if lever 50 should be broken off.

It will be understood that I desire to comprehend within my inventionsuch modifications as may be necessary to adapt it to varying conditionsand uses.

. Having thus fully. described my invention, what I claim as new anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is: I

1. In a grave vault comprising a unitary hood having an offset portionat the bottom thereof terminating at the bottom in an inwardly directedhorizontal flange adapted to abut avertical edge of a U-shaped offsetflange on a base fitting within said offset portion and tobe engaged atits inner edge and lockedonpthe base by cam-shaped surfaces ofspring-pressed latch latch-operating mechanism therein; a unitary basemember comprising a platform having downwardly directed flangesterminating in upwardly directed U-shaped offset flanges, and aco-extensive bottom plate parallel to and spaced from the platform andsecured to the downwardly directed flanges of the base and having ateach end thereof laterally disposed unitary boxlike housings forstrengthening said base and for inclosing said latching mechanism, saidhousings having the tops thereof formed by the platform, the bottomthereof formed by the bottom plate, the ends thereof formed by thedownwardly directed side flanges and one side thereof formed by thedownwardly directed end flange of the base.

2. In a grave vault comprising a unitary hood having an offset portionat the bottom thereof terminating at the bottom in an inwardly directedhorizontal flange adapted to abut a vertical edge of a U-shaped offsetflange on a base fitting within said offset portion and to be engaged atits inner edge and locked on the base by cam-shaped surfaces ofspring-pressed latch members mounted in the base and controlled bylatch-operating mechanism therein; a unitary base member comprising aplatform having downwardly directed flanges terminating in upwardlydirected U-shaped offset flanges and having at each end thereoflaterally disposed unitary box-like housings for strengthening said baseand for inclosing said latching mechanism, said housings having the topsthereof formed by the platform, the ends thereof formed by thedownwardly directed side flanges and one side thereof formed by thedownwardly directed end flange of the base.

3. In a grave vault, a hollow unitary base member comprising a platformhaving downwardly directed flanges terminating in upwardly directedoutwardly offset flanges, and a colike housings for strengthening saidbase and for enclosing latching means associated with said base, saidhousings having the tops thereof formed by the platform and the bottomsthereof formed by the bottom plate.

4. In a grave vault, a hollow unitary base member comprising a platformhaving downwardly directed flanges terminating in upwardly directedoutwardly offset flanges, and a co-extensive bottom plate parallel toand spaced from the platform and secured to the downwardly directedflanges of the base and having at each end thereof laterally disposedunitary box-like housings for strengthening said base and for enclosinglatching means associated with said base, said housing having the topsthereof formed by the platform, the bottoms thereof formed by the bottomplate, and the ends thereof formed by the downwardly directed sideflanges.

5. In a grave vault, a hollow unitary base member comprising a platformhaving downwardly directed flanges terminating in upwardly directedoutwardly offset flanges, and a co-extensive bottom plate parallel toand spaced from the platform and secured to the downwardly directedflanges of the base and having at each end thereof laterally disposedunitary box-like housings for strengthening said base and for enclosinglatching means associated with said base, said housings having the topsthereof formed by the platform, the bottoms thereof formed by the bottomplate, the ends thereof formed by the downwardly directed side flanges,and one side thereof formed by the downwardly directed end flanges ofthe base.

RALPH E. SMITH.

